St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-05
The Carpenters, at Largely Attended
Meeting, Resolve to Strike To-Mor-
row For Nine Hours.
Owing to Other Arrangements Else
where, Nc Centennial Celebration
Will Be Held in st. Paul.
Funeral of Dr.. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Passed by His Associates---The
Globes Reception.
CARPENTERS WILL sTRIkE.
Such Is the Determination
Reached Last Night.

on strike for nine hours days Work
at ten hours pay. The text of the reSo-
luton unanimously passed at the meet
ing amidst the widest enthusiasm is as
follows:
Believing that a majority OF the contractors
of this city have refused 10 grant our demand
to make Il days work nine hours, with nine
hours pay; therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of all the
carpenters, both union and non-union men,
Mt this meeting assembled, that we now de-
mand nine hours, with the same pay we are
now receiving.
Resolved, further, That all the carpenters
in the city will forthwith ault work, and no
man Will return TO work until the contractors
grant our demands.
The meeting was presided over by
Chris Blakely, secretary of the Ameri-
can Lodge of the Brotherhood of Car
penterS and JoinerS. In opening, he
said:
This meeting has been called to take
some action regarding the nine-hour
movement. As you are well aware,
quite a number of union and nOn-unlon
men were locked out because they in
sisted on working only nine hours after
the lSt of June. a majority of the bosses
have refused to grant our demands for
nine hours, and this meeting was called
to hear the expression of all the carpen-
tiers of the city, that we might take
some determined action. Heretofore
when we made our demands, we asked
only nine hours pay, but it is now SUg-
geSted by a good many nOn-uniOn men
lin fact nearly all of them-that they
ore willing to go out with us if we ask
for nine hours and the same pay we are
getting now at ten hours"
Mr.. Blakely'S announcement was
greeted with loud cheers and cries of
T'S WHAT WE WANT -
end he then read to the meeting the
RESOLUTIONS as passed, inviting free dis
MuSSiOn from every one. MIR. OGrady
was the next speaker:
Il think it is about the most Opportune
time to enforce our demands" he said.
alt is a season of unusual prosperity.
Set us make our demands deliberately,
and when we make them, stand by them
to the end, and victory will be ours"
Loud cheers followed Mr.. O'Grady's
remarks, and were prolonged when
James Mcclure, president of the Amer
lean branch of the Carpenters Brother
hood, rose to speak. He said there was
no question in his mind of the right or
wrong of this move. AS Mr.. O'Grady
had said, 1--WE are the poorest paid class
of mechanics in the country" When
the carpenters first asked for nine hours
for days work this spring there were
some who said we would not need to
strike for it. Il didn't feel that way at
all.'' he said. Il had a little experience
with the contractors in this city
year ago. l called on them with others
of committee appointed by the car
penters, asking if they would be willing
to give us nine hours on the 1St of May
"a year ago. Some said it didn't make
any difference whether we worked ten
hours or nine hours, so long as we didn't
ask ten hours pay. When the LIST of May
came around they had either forgotten
all about it or they didn't want to do as
they agreed, and am inclined to think
it was the latter. This year we thought
we would try once more, and act differ
emily. We didn't go around to them,
and didn't commence quite so early
in the season. | think it is a
month ago, nearly, that we first decided
to ask for nine hours without increase
in wages per hour. When the 1St
of June came they discharged the
men that quit at O'clock. In asking
nine hours work and nine housr' pay,
we could not see where we were working
any hardship to any one, but the con-
tractor thinks it is a hardship when the
carpenter asks for anything. l have
talked with good many men who
don't belong to the union, and they
seem to be willing to go with us
for nine hours, if we ask
for the same pay we have
been receiving. l do not think there is
anything unjust in the demand, and
hope every man i'll the city will stay
right with us, whether it is day or a
month. am no wealthy man, but l
tell you | have worked my last ten hours
day. When have to work ten hours
again will walk out of this city before
l will work it here. Cheers. There is
no use going out and saying we want
nine hours, and because we don't get it
go right back to work. You will
NEVER GET ANYTHING
in that way. We have asked for nine
hours and we have been snubbed, and
the only way is to stick it out until we
get it, and then we will have it.'
The speaker had evidently reached
the determined sentiment of the whole
meeting. He was followed by Mi.
johnson, who said he had always been
opposed to strike. but was now con-
WINGED there WAS no other way to gain
the desired end. The men that didn't
fight for the strike were fighting against
it, and fighting their own interests. ut
seems to me" he said, THAT this move
ment will be successful, and if
it is not successful it will de-
pend upon the nOn-union men. If
they will stick it will only take little
while to bring the contractors to time.
But once i'll the strike, we cannot be too
careful not to give anybody the oppor-
tunity to call us drunkardS, rioters, an
archists and things of that kind. Let
us endeavor to avoid this stigma in
this movement" Christian +.
Gaefke, president of the German
lodge of the brotherhood, spoke in
favor OF the resolution, which
was twice re-read by the chairman. and
unanimously passed by rising vote,
amid deafening cheers. When the Op-
posing vote was called for not one man
rose, and the cheering begun again. An
effort was then made by Mr.. Johnson to
appoint committee to wait upon the
contractors with view to arbi-
traton. but the motion was tabled
at once, the sentiment of the
meeting being opposed to making any
Overtures whatever Mr.. Mcclure in
behalf of the union then extended an
invitation to all non-union carpenters
to Join the brotherhood, and Mr. Gaefke,
German, and Mr. Anderson. Scandina-
Wan, also addressed the meeting in their
native language. Considerable excite
ment was caused when carpenter
named Logan faced the audience and
accused them of laughing when
Anderson was speaking, on account of
his nationality, but his effort to raise a
disturbance was quickly quoted by An
derSon, who was applauded loudly. The
headquarters of the strikers will be at
the q. y. Il. hall. corner of Third and
Exchange streets.